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The Club of "Orientation Parents"

A 20 sq.m office in a business center on Ligovsky avenue, two shining glass packets with a view on neighboring buildings' rusty roofs. A bookshelf with booklets "What is going on with my kid?", "LGBT Servicing. To proclaim and strengthen!", "My activism". There are 30 people in the office who sit along the walls with hand-made name badges. The number of children is much bigger than of parents. Techies, people of the arts, students. All of them are 18-30 years old, united and connected with LGBT community, coming out and problems with their relatives.

There are 5 parents and all of them are moms. They did not repudiate their kids when they had revealed their homosexuality. Now they frequently go to the club and have a wish that other parents would join them.

Valentin, host of the meeting, begins: "Today we see many new faces... Would anyone mind if a correspondent of Gazeta.Ru will be present here?".

Parents reply: "No, we don't. And we want a correspondent of the First Channel also be here (joking)".

The meeting begins.

"Parents' club is a project which helps parents and their children to regain each other", says Valentin. He explains the rules. Only one who holds a blue dragon toy has a right speak. Others are not allowed to interrupt, assess and blame each other. One should speak only about him(her)self.

Elya, a thin and small teenager girl, tells everyone that she had already been detained in the 22-nd police department for the meeting on Malaya Sadovaya square in support of those who were accused in Bolotnaya square case. While being behind the police bars she openly said about her sexual orientation. "It was not my coming out. It was their outing", smiles Elya. Mom has also got to know the truth - she submitted with her daughter's gay orientation but is still upset with her activism - her daughter would stand for political prisoners, LGBT activists and for every wretched in general. Mom does not like it and banned her daughter to attend the actions. As a result, Elya for the 4th day in a row does not comeback home "because we had a stormy quarrel and do not speak to each other". The girl has called her mom to join the parents' club. She promised to come but didn't come today.

The blue dragon toy passes to the hands of Natasha, a mom of a lesbian.

"You do everything right", calms her Natasha. "Your mom did not come here cause she was having a shift and she was overcoming it. Now she is curious but something might have happened that distracted her from coming here. She will come, sooner or later."Then speaks another mom - Marieanne. She says that Elya's parents simply care and worry about their daughter who is engaged in activism. The time will come and they will get over it, understand and acknowledge.

"Your mom believes that it (activism) is very dangerous for you", adds Nina, unofficial leader of the club. One and a half year ago this club helped me to understand my daughter. Now I'd be happy to help if I can. My daughter was married for 5 years to a man. Then she unexpectedly revealed to me that she fell in love with a GIRL!!! I was shocked. Being emotional person quarreled till the sparks flew. Then she told me:"Mom, if you want to understand, please, come to the club". And I came and everything fell into place. I accepted her - she is MY daughter. How can I do not accept her?

The club decides that Elya has to consult a psychologist.

"Actually, the parents do make the club functioning. We just help them to organize, support them in resources", said Valentina Tenevskaya, a coordinator of the"Vykhod" LGBT Organization. "The majority of parents are moms. There are some dads but they are not so open, mostly dads join us on-line".

According to Ms.Tenevskaya, one of the club's values - is the family. Difficult stories happen when parents repudiate their children due to the lack of information, fears and stress. Participants of the parents' club educate, support, communicate with parents and LGBT children. Every year 300 people get help of the club. Moms are giving their support in the development of this project in other Russian regions such as Arkhangelsk and Moscow. But the work there is on the very initial stage. The Peterburg's parents' club is up to now a unique LGBT project in Russia.

The full version in Russian of the article "LGBT Parents' club" is available on "Gazeta.Ru" internet-site.